Single Bloom Bridal Bouquets

June 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, has your daughter discovered yet how many options are out there for her bridal bouquet? If so, she may actually be a little overwhelmed with the prospect of making a choice. Sometimes having to make one more choice is what pushes a stretched-to-thin bride-to-be from bridal bliss into full-blown bridal panic.

If your daughter would appreciate the ease of a less complicated bridal bouquet decision, try suggesting a single bloom bouquet. Of course, the single bloom will need to be a large bloom to give the illusion of a bouquet rather than just one flower.

Here are some large bloom options: She could go with a dahlia (like pictured above), but other large bloom flowers include peonies, magnolias, alliums, hydrangea, proteas, and sunflowers. Have her take a look at this Single Flower Bouquet page on Pinterest to see if one strikes her bridal fancy.

And by the way, MOB, one other advantage to a single bloom bouquet is a less expensive price. The groom and/or his parents will thank you for that. Looks like it could be a win-win for everyone!

*You might also like to read Bridal Bouquet: Classic and Elegant Calla Lilies , White or Cream Bridal Bouquet: Add a Touch of Color, Bridal Bouquet and Boutonniere Sheet Music Idea, and Inexpensive Bridal Bouquet Idea: Baby’s Breath!

Photo credit: Flower Factor via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC

Filed Under: big, bride, flowers, money, Mother of the Bride Tagged With: , , , , ,

Christmas Gifts for the Bride

December 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The Loot (3)*Since the readership of the Mother of the Bride Blog is ever-changing, here is an updated encore post I hope will be helpful to those of you who weren’t MOBs when I originally posted it in December 2013.

Christmas-shopping bills plus wedding expenses can equal one slightly stressed (okay, highly stressed) mother of the bride, can’t it? Either one of these particular expenses puts a strain on most of our budgets, but combine them and we’ll be seeing dollar signs in our sleep each night.

So what can you do, Mother of the Bride, to help alleviate a little of the financial pinch that may come your way in December? My oldest daughter Kristin inadvertently sparked one solution while we were planning her wedding. When the holidays rolled around, she told me not to worry about buying any Christmas gifts for her that year because she knew we were already spending a lot on her upcoming wedding. Of course, I didn’t want to forgo Christmas for her, but an idea clicked—why not combine the two?

And you know what? It worked perfectly. I went ahead and purchased the bridal veil she had shown interest in as well as a pair of bridal shoes and a beautiful wedding memories album that could serve as a guest book for the wedding. It also provided a place to record bridal shower and wedding gifts. A dear friend made some lacy garters for her and even decorated a special keepsake box for them with a bridal theme. I also gave Kristin a beautiful unity candle set as well as a fun honeymoon photo album. She was delighted.

So remember this, MOB, during the holiday season: A few meaningful wedding-related Christmas gifts for your bride-to-be daughter will strike her as not only fun but special as well while also giving your bank account a bit of a break. Another win-win on the wedding front!

*You might also like to read A Simple Wedding Expense Tip, Making Her Beautiful—Bridal Primping on a Budget, Budget Agreement with the Father of the Bride, and Wedding Savings Tip: Borrow!

*Why not pop over to my home page and enter the Little Christmas Warmth Giveaway? Deadline to enter is 6 p.m. (CST) on Dec. 9th!

*My photo

Filed Under: advice, bride, Gift, holidays, joy, money, Mother of the Bride, preparation, provision Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bride’s and Bridesmaids’ Bouquets as Cake Table Decor

October 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, have you and your darling daughter discussed the wedding day décor for the cake tables yet? Remember, you will have two tables or areas to decorate—the main cake table and the table for the groom’s cake as well. Yes, the cakes will be decorative in themselves, but something more is really needed to add color and beauty to the white tablecloths you’ll more than likely use.

One smart and gorgeous solution is to use the bride’s and the bridesmaids’ bouquets to add beautiful accents to the cake tables. Since you already have money invested in the bouquets, why not use them beyond the ceremony?

Not only will the bouquets already be stunning, they will provide coordinating color, already be paid for, and will require no extra work. Just tell the bridesmaids ahead of time where they are to place their bouquets as soon as they arrive at the reception. Or have someone else assigned to gather the bouquets as soon as the post ceremony photos are taken so she can get them to the reception site asap.

MOB, this is one of those times you can kill two birds with one stone. Take advantage of it and move on to the next item on your to-do list. After all, you’ll probably be adding to that list as fast as you check things off, right?!

*You might also like to read Cake Table Tip for Weddings: Display Engagement Photo, Table Décor Finishing Touch: Fresh Rose Petals, and Wedding Table Décor: Add Pizzazz with Confetti.

*The Life Notes Subscriber Appreciation Giveaway is underway. Details are in my Oct. 19 post on my home page and sign-up is to the right under “Free For You.” Deadline is 6 p.m. Nov. 11. Don’t miss out on the chance to win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble!

0307*Top photo by Flowers Photography; bottom photo by Chris Humphrey Photographer

Filed Under: bride, bridesmaids, cake, decorate, flowers, money, Mother of the Bride, table Tagged With: , , ,

Inexpensive Bridal Bouquet Idea: Baby’s Breath!

November 13, 2014 by 1 Comment

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Mother of the Bride, baby’s breath often accents flower arrangements of all sorts, but has your daughter considered using it for her bouquet? If you show her the photo above, she may just decide to let it be the star of the show!

Not only will a baby’s breath bouquet be a more affordable option, it can be quite elegant-looking as well. Isn’t the bouquet pictured above gorgeous? The green of the stems adds such a nice contrast, but I think a ribbon-wrapped bouquet with a brooch attached would be stunning, too.

Baby’s breath can also be used for the groom’s boutonniere, along with the bouts for all of the other men in the wedding party. Again, it would be a less expensive way to go but look classy all at the same time. If you’d like to see an example of how baby’s breath would look for bouts, check out my “Weddings This and That” Pinterest board. You’ll find a great example there.

I love passing along inexpensive yet beautiful options when I see them, MOB. Hope you find several on your journey as a mother of the bride!

*You might also like to read Savings Tip for Bridal and Bridesmaids Bouquets and Bridal Bouquet Idea: Add Some Sparkle with Gemstones.

*Flickr photo by Jin.Dongjun, Creative Commons License

*It’s not too late to receive the current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter. Sign-up is free and to the right!

Filed Under: beauty, bride, flowers, groom, money, Mother of the Bride

Green Wedding Trend: Rent and Borrow More Items

November 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

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Mother of the Bride, is your daughter earth friendly and hoping to incorporate some green strategies into her wedding celebration? If so, along with some of her other ideas, I’ve got a super simple and economic idea to add to the list. Simple plus economic—can’t be that, huh?

According to a recent Bridal Guide blog post, one of the top eco-friendly wedding trends for next year is renting and borrowing more items. They say brides will be renting everything from gowns to jewelry to vases. They also point out that more vendors are offering rentals now as they respond to the economy and to customers’ buying habits.

Last spring I wrote a post about borrowing wedding items so I’m glad to hear that the idea is becoming more widespread. So many items can be borrowed—or rented—when you stop to think about. Be sure to read my “borrowing” post for lots of ideas.

MOB, go ahead and make a list of things to borrow or rent and then also ask your vendors for any rentals they offer. They may offer something you hadn’t yet put on your list. And then after the wedding, be ready and willing to loan the items you actually bought. Other budget-strapped MOBs will thank you!

*You might also like to read Wedding Savings Tip: Borrow! and Post-Wedding Inventory.

*Flickr photo by FestivitiesMN, Creative Commons License

*The Life Notes Subscriber Appreciation Giveaway is underway. Details are in my Oct. 16 post on my home page and sign-up is to the right under “Free For You.” Deadline is 6 p.m. Nov. 12. Don’t miss out on the chance to win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble!

Filed Under: advice, free, help, money, Mother of the Bride, preparation, provision, trend
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